Amanda received her M.S. in Mental Health Counseling from Nova Southeastern University. She also has a B.S. in Psychology from Nova Southeastern University and an A.A. in Education from Florida State College of Jacksonville. Amanda has been in practice since 2009 and has helped many children, teens and, their families in the foster care and adoption system. She has a passion for health and coordinates our office’s wellness efforts. If you know Amanda, you know she loves to make everyone feel welcome and cared for and if you don’t, get to know to her below:

1. What gets you out of bed in the morning? -Coffee!

2. Why did you become a therapist? -Originally, I didn’t set out to be a therapist. I wanted to be an elementary school teacher, and for a few years I did teach. I loved the teaching profession and the ability to impress young minds and introduce new concepts. However, I found very quickly that counseling was needed almost as much or more than the ability to teach. I was spending more time helping kids and their parents with difficult situations and behavioral changes. I found that I had a natural “knack” for being able to help others make important changes in their lives. I chose to go back to school for mental health counseling. I love that I’m able to assist people of all ages and backgrounds to make important lifelong positive changes in their lives.

3. What is your favorite thing about FPA? -There is a lot I love about FPA! I love that I’m able to work in Nassau County. Mental health is such an important aspect of health and is something that has been lacking in Nassau County for many years. I also love that I’m able to see clients on the west side of Nassau County where I grew up and now live. I have amazing supervisors who treat me as a respected professional rather than just an employee.

4. What is your favorite quote that inspires you? -You can’t control the wind; but you can adjust your sails

5. What is a must on your bucket list? -Oh, I have a few that I’d really like to accomplish, but after much consideration I really think a must do would be to sing a score from “Phantom of the Opera” with Josh Groban.

6. What makes you happy? -Spending time with my family and going to Disney World.

8. Describe your perfect day. -My perfect day begin with an amazing cup of coffee in bed, followed by a breakfast that included biscuits and gravy and bacon. I would then enjoy a relaxing and fun-filled day in one of the Disney parks with my family. Oh, by the way this is a brisk, Fall day with a continuous breeze and short ride lines. After a fun-filled day in the park, we would retire for the evening to our resort for pool and hot tub time. We would end the day with fireworks before bed.

9. You are our wellness coordinator; how do you practice wellness in your own life? -I’ve always been a firm believer in work/life balance and self-care. As women, we all too often fill our days with our careers, keeping our homes, and caring for family/loved ones. I try to ensure that I take time for myself a few times a week. For at least 15-30 minutes, I consume myself in an activity such as gardening, baking, or creative art to help reduce stress. I also find it important to just meditate and be mindful of the most mundane things throughout the day. The mindfulness moment that really helps to ground myself in the mornings consists of me sipping my coffee, enjoying the smell and taking notice of the flavors.

10. Amanda frequently sings the National Anthem at the Jumbo Shrimp baseball games. What is your favorite song to sing? -This is a challenging question for me. I don’t have just one song that is a go-to, unless it's karaoke. I was raised to have a love for all genres of music. I’ve found that for me, my mood highly dictates what I sing day to day, moment to moment. Just like visual art, for me music is an expression of my inner emotions and thoughts so one day I may be found singing 80’s rock songs, to other times of praise and worship. And, as the crazy Disney girl I am, I do frequently sing songs from various Disney films.

11. What is one thing that you want our readers to know about you? -I don’t find myself very interesting, I am what I like to call a “self-professed southern geek!” I am a Star Wars and Marvel comics fan from way back before it was “cool.” I’m just a simple southern country girl who would prefer to be in my small town on a Friday night at a local football game or at home with my family enjoying a good movie and pizza. Yep, not much in the way of crazy thrill seeking here.

You will find Amanda seeing her clients at FPA or over on the Westside during the week. If you have any questions, please email community@floridapsy.com.